Sarcophyton

*Sarcophyton*
Taxonomical systematics
	Genus	Sarcophyton Lesson, 1834
	Common names	Mushroom Leather Coral,
	Family	Alcyoniidae
	Suborder	Alcyoniina
	Order	Alcyonacea
	Subclass	Octocorallia
	Class	Anthozoa
	Phylum	Cnidaria

Local ecology
	Distribution	Oceania, Tropical Western Pacific Ocean, Great Barrier Reef, Tropical Eastern Indian Ocean, Northern and Western Indian Ocean, Red Sea.
	Habitat	Intertidal to considerable depth, moderately turbid near-shore reefs, soft bottom and clear-water reefs. Tends to grow faster under more turbid conditions. (Fabricius and Alderslade, 2001)

Biological characteristics
	Description	The common name comes from the tendency for colonies to have a wide, fleshy disc-like structure on a bare stalk, giving the appearance of a mushroom, particularly in juveniles. The polyps are all borne on the upper side of the disc which is called a polypary. The polypary is concave in the centre and in adults the periphery is folded or wavy. Colonies can grow to over 1.5 m in diameter and the size of an individual colony varies greatly between fully expanded and fully contracted. The stalk is short and thick in wave-exposed habitats and long and narrow in deep mud and soft bottom conditions. (Fabricius and Alderslade, 2001)
		Polyps are dimorphic. Autozooids are completely retractile and when contracted the surface of the polypary is quite smooth, but leathery. When expanded, the autozooids have long bodies, medium-sized oral discs and 8 tentacles with pinnules. Siphonozooids are small and densely arranged between the autozooids. (Fabricius and Alderslade, 2001)
		The polypary can be brown, beige, yellow, green or cream. The autozooids may be the same colour or even brighter shades of yellow, white or green. (Fabricius and Alderslade, 2001)
		Zooxanthellate
		Ahermatypic
	Associated organisms	Planaria, nudibranchs and other parasites have been seen feeding on their coral tissue (Borneman, 2001).
	Similar genera	The polypary of Lobophytum looks very similar, this genus lacks a stalk.

	Sarcophyton sp. at 26 m on Osprey Reef, Coral Sea.


	Sarcophyton sp. at 16 m in a protected area on Osprey Reef, Coral Sea.


	Sarcophyton sp. at 10 m on Osprey Reef, Coral Sea.


	Sarcophyton sp. on Osprey Reef, Coral Sea.


	*Retracted juvenile mushroom leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) in aquarium.*


	*Partially open juvenile mushroom leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) in aquarium.*


	*Fully expanded juvenile mushroom leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) in aquarium.*


	Close-up of polypary showing siphonozooids arranged between partially contracted autozooids.


	*Retracted mushroom leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) in aquarium.*


	*Fully expanded mushroom leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) in aquarium.*


	Close-up of polypary showing siphonozooids arranged between partially contracted autozooids.

Captive care
	Lighting	Tolerant of various lighting schemes (Borneman, 2001).
	Water flow	Tolerant of various levels of current but are not fond of strong currents (Borneman, 2001).
	Feeding	Sorokin (1991) found that for S. trocheliopherum, 130% of their metabolic need for carbon could be met by products of photosynthesis and they were not strong predators. Heterotrophic sources such as zooplankton, phytoplankton, bacterioplankton and dissolved organic matter only accounted for 9% of carbon used for respiration. Borneman (2001) states Sarcophyton sp. are capable of substantial uptake of nutrients from surrounding water.
	Growth rate	Very fast.

Reproduction
	Sexual reproduction mode	Broadcast spawners.
	Sexes	Dioecious (colonies of separate sexes) (Borneman, 2001).
	Asexual methods	Colony fission or budding of daughter colonies off the stalk or edge of the polypary (Fabricius and Alderslade, 2001).

References
	Borneman E.H. 2001. Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. Microcosm Ltd, Charlotte, VT. 464pp.
	Fabricius K. and Alderslade P. 2001. Soft Corals and Sea Fans: A comprehensive guide to the tropical shallow-water genera of the Central-West Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. AIMS, Townsville, Australia. 264pp.
	Sorokin Y.I. 1991. Biomass, metabolic rates and feeding of some common zoantharians and octocorals.. Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res. 42:729-741.